If only Don Cherry had listened to the oft-repeated admonition of those who hate it when sports analysts stray from the game in front of them.
“Stick to sports” is what they say, and if Cherry had done just that he may still have his Coach’s Corner pulpit on “Hockey Night in Canada,” which he’d held onto since 1986. The truth is that he never stuck to sports. That is what helped make the man an institution, and was his undoing.
After numerous controversies over the years, Saturday’s discriminatory comments about immigrants not wearing enough Remembrance Day poppies was the straw that broke this loud mouth’s back. If we go through his worst-of list, “you people” trumps calling Toronto city councillors “left-wing pinkos,” berating “Europeans and French guys” for being soft or calling Russians “quitters.”
Considering the litany of incidents the man has survived, it is legitimately shocking that Sportsnet decided to fire him — or that he chose to step down, as it said in the official statement from network president Bart Yabsley.
It became clear in the aftermath that Cherry would not be apologizing for the remarks, something that onscreen partner Ron MacLean did unequivocally on Sunday night’s Hometown Hockey. That lack of an apology was likely the last straw for Cherry after his employers — at a network with the tagline “United by Sport” — called the comments “discriminatory.”
Cherry has long been divisive — hardcore supporters on one side, fans tired of his act on the other — and despite everything he said, there was never an erosion of his audience. Even after all the changes that Hockey Night has made under Sportsnet stewardship, an incredibly large number of Canadians still watch and it remains the No. 1 sports brand in the country.
In some ways, this is truly the end of the rose-coloured view of Hockey Night created over the decades. It really has been death by a thousand cuts, likely starting with TSN spiriting away the rights to the iconic theme song in 2008.
Sportsnet’s 12-year, $5.2-billion deal, signed in 2013, to lock up national NHL rights could have been the beginning of a new golden age of hockey viewership, but it’s been a mixed bag. After changing the format of the pre-game show, viewers revolted at George Stroumboulopoulos taking the hosting reins. Rogers put MacLean back in the host’s chair after two years.
Also, after building what seemed like a cast of thousands of analysts and pundits, Sportsnet has been in retraction mode, recently letting go several personalities including Nick Kypreos and John Shannon. It suggested that they were cutting costs because of the contract, but the network says it’s still a fantastic business deal. Those firings led to suggestions this past summer that Cherry would be next, with the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons reporting that his return was not guaranteed for this season. It started an outcry on social media, which Cherry kiboshed by saying that all was fine and he was returning.
There will be some outrage over his firing, but network executives know that while hardcore followers may miss him during that first-period intermission, there’s no way they are going to miss the game.
As for the many Canadians who were offended, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council had to stop taking complaints because their system was overloaded by the deluge.
What happens next? Sportsnet said it’s “considering its options for the first intermission segment.” It seems pretty simple. The segment is called Coach’s Corner — never Cherry’s Corner — so the solution is either to find another coach or blow it up and start from scratch. Maybe something like Analytics Alley. Of course, then you have to find someone who can make Corsi interesting.
Finding the right candidate is admittedly easier said than done. People who are good on TV make it look incredibly easy. It is not. A pundit job’s is to inform, entertain and, yes, occasionally outrage. For all his faults, Cherry did all of those things and it often made for compelling television. He also found ways to be different from all the other analysts. I remember covering games where other media members would stop to watch him — sometimes for his insights but also on the off chance he made news, which he did this past Saturday.
Like his fans, Cherry will no doubt be watching on Saturday night, and we’ll all be waiting to see what happens after the first period.
FIVE PEOPLE WHO COULD REPLACE DON CHERRY
Brian Burke
Curmudgeon — check. Under contract — check. Known to hockey audiences, this former executive has never coached, but is likely the odds-on favourite to step in, at least on an interim basis, in Cherry’s absence.
Jeff O’Neill
The O-Dog has never been a coach and is under contract to TSN on OverDrive and that rival network’s hockey coverage, but if there is a rising star in the pundit ranks it is this former Leaf.
John Tortorella
He is also busy coaching the Columbus Blue Jackets, but if there is a coach out there with TV charisma, it’s Torts. We just have to wait till he’s fired.
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Mike Milbury
He’s currently an analyst for NHL on NBC, but the former player, executive and coach has plenty of TV experience. But like Torts, does it matter that he’s American?
Patrick Roy
The former superstar goalie has coaching experience, but being great on the ice usually doesn’t translate to greatness on the tube.
